This invention relates generally to electric wall switches of the type used to operate various electrical devices connected to the switches and is particularly directed to a wall switch with ground fault protection.
Ground fault circuit interrupters are used in the wiring of buildings in order to reduce the risk of accidental electrocution due to line-to-ground leakage, resulting in the grounded side of the line for a piece of electrical equipment or the casing of the equipment becoming hot, or live, producing a considerable shock hazard. Ground fault circuit interrupters are connected in series between the power source and a connector such as a wall socket in order to detect such leakages and cut off power to any connected equipment on detection of a ground fault. Certain electrical equipment is required to be protected by ground fault circuit interrupters, particularly any equipment in use near water, for example, outdoor pool lighting and bathroom electrical outputs. Once the interrupter has been activated or tripped by a ground fault, or inadvertently tripped, it must be reset after the problem has been resolved. This can be inconvenient in the case of outdoor equipment, for example, since the interrupter is typically located outdoors, so that the user has to go outdoors in order to reset it, and may be in relatively inaccessible areas, for example, under the jacuzzi tub. Typically, several circuit interrupters will be required at various locations, such as bathrooms, kitchen, outdoor pool or jacuzzi, and so on.
An electric wall receptacle with ground fault protection is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,266 of Virani, et al. in which plug-in sockets for the pins of a standard electrical appliance are connected to a power source input to the receptacle via a ground fault interrupter circuit located in the wall receptacle.